1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a versatile production system; that is, a production system for manufacturing diverse items of products on a single line. This invention also relates to a pallet employed on a production line, on which products are assembled and tested, for use in the versatile production system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, a production line for products comprises a series of processes; that is, a process of supplying parts required for assembling a product, a process of assembling and manufacturing a product, a process of testing and inspecting the performance of an assembled product, and a process of feeding an accepted product to a packing site. It is preferable for mass production to install a production line for each product. When diverse item products are manufactured in small quantities, however, large factory space and a large number of production facilities are required. When products are manufactured in small quantities having a separate production line for each product, idling time increases, and sections of occupied factory space, production facilities, and operators become redundant.
Accordingly, a versatile production system for producing multiple kinds of products on a single line has been realized, which solves the above problems. When production volume must be dealt with flexibly and a required product must be manufactured in specific quantities, a work order sheet must be delivered to an operator stationed at respective workplaces. Such work order sheets can include information such as the content of work, production sequence, supplied material and quality control for each product. On receipt of the order, the operator must assemble, test and inspect a product, and compile a test result report. The operator must also record information pertaining to defective parts on a work sheet and feed back the information.
When multiple item products must be manufactured in small quantities, the foregoing versatile production system of a prior art poses problems such as: excessive time and labor is needed for processing information concerning the production line, an operator has an excessive amount of responsibility, operational errors may occur and production efficiency deteriorates.
On the other hand, on a versatile production line for assembling, testing, and finishing multiple kinds of products, a pallet used as a base is transported to the versatile production line and is loaded with a product. In the prior art, a pallet employed for the versatile production line is simply a platform that is not provided with a communication-memory unit serving as a data carrier for communicating and storing data concerning each assembly process or test process performed on the versatile production line. In each assembly process or test process, an operator transfers necessary information using a work order sheet.
The foregoing pallet of the prior art is simply a base for loading a product during assembly or testing. But for a work order sheet or other means, information concerning assembly and testing performed from an initial process to a current process on a versatile production line cannot be transferred when needed during an assembly process or a testing process on the production line. Therefore, an operator is obliged to move from one workplace to another, which reduces work efficiency.